Reports

The clash that took place at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant
on Wednesday, 18 July, is the direct offshoot of inhuman working
conditions to which workers at the plant specially and the working class as a
whole is being subjected to in India.

Workers at Manesar plant had been fighting for years
together for realisation of most fundamental rights- e.g. to get their trade
union recognised. However, the management has applied all possible unfair means
to defeat the legitimate struggle of the workers through direct collusion with
state authorities, police repression, bribing trade union leaders and employing
bouncers to break the resistance of workers through brutal violence.

On 18, a worker was abused by company official,
but instead of conducting an inquiry into the incident and taking action against
the official, the victim workman was suspended by the Company. As Union leaders
intervened for conciliation, the management called the bouncers employed by it,
who started to beat up the workers with sticks and iron rods, getting many
workers injured. Infuriated with this assault, workers retaliated with
whatever came to their hands at the spot, mostly automobile parts. As bouncers
failed to dominate the scene, officials of the company themselves joined the scuffle
to support the bouncers. In the meanwhile a fire started at venue of Human
Resource department, in which General Manager, HR, got trapped and burnt. Cause
of the fire remains unknown.

Ignoring the fact that it was management deployed bouncers
who had started the violence against workers and that more workers are injured
in the incident, police, administration and the whole state apparatus has
geared up against the workers.

Frightened at the might and militancy demonstrated by the workers,
the whole corporate elite- capitalists, media, officials- have joined hands,
demanding further state repression of the workers and industrial peace. The
leaders of Trade Unions, CITU-AITUC led by Stalinists and HMS led by social-democrats,
have dubiously joined the chorus of “industrial peace”, preventing the other sections
of working class from coming to aid of their brethren in Maruti-Suzuki and pledging
their full support to ‘industrial peace’.A meeting called by the Labour Commissioner,
Haryana, on 19 July, next day of the incident, to prevent spreading
disturbances to other industrial establishments, was attended by the local leaders
of CITU-AITUC-BMS-HMS, where these leaders have pledged to co-operate with
state authorities in restoration of “industrial peace”. The ministers and bureaucrats in state and
Central government, however, are making clear statements protecting the
management officials and indicting workers for the violence. More than 100
workers are already arrested and more are being hunted for. Stalinist and
Social Democratic leaders have however disappeared into thin air at this
critical moment, leaving the workers that follow them in lurch. Appealing for ‘industrial
peace’ leaders of HMS-CITU-AITUC, have already prevented a strike proposed by
the workers of Suzuki Powertrain and Suzuki Motorcycles to oppose the police
repression upon the workers.

We severely condemn the attempts of corporate elites and the
government officials acting on their behest to suppress the legitimate demands
of workers through brute violence, bribes and bouncers, and false propaganda in
media run by corporates. Violence is inalienable part of economic and political
policies masterminded by the corporate elites and imposed upon the working and
toiling people and thus is rooted deep in exploitative system of capitalism.

We also condemn the role of Stalinist and social democratic
labour organisations- both parties and trade unions- in collaborating with the
elites corporate and state officials for “industrial peace”, while at the same
time holding back other sections of workers from coming to aid of their class
brothers and thereby isolating the Maruti workers at Manesar. We warn the
workers against these agents of capitalism. The more workers movement will
distance itself from these agents, the more it will gain strength.

We call upon all sections of the working class to rise to
the occasion and come to the aid of their class brethren at Maruti-Suzuki plant
at Manesar, and thus gear up for a broader offensive against the whole class of
capitalists, aimed at overturn of their rule and for a socialist revolution.

1 comment:

There is a gap between your report of a fight by workers to get union representation and calling on workers to rise up for a broader offensive, overturn and socialist revolution. Surely the immediate demand should be for workers to take control of their unions, by forming mass strike committees across all unions, and when confronted by the employers, treacherous politicians and bureaucrats, occupy workplaces, forming workers councils and defence militias and so prepare for a general strike and insurrection.